IBS diet management

Doolee

So,
I've been attempting to advise my sister who suffers badly with IBS. She knows bits and bobs about what she should be doing but so wont heed any advice I tend to give her. Today, she listened. Aside from an obsession with health and diet dos and donts, fitness and nutrition, I'm not qualified professionally so would love it someone could verify whether my advice has been correct and maybe add any other info?

Heres what I told her:

-Its not curable but just managable through diet and lifestyle changes (isnt everything!)

-Fibre can be her friend or foe depending on her symptoms, ie. Diarrhea /constipation. Hers are both. So I advised her to limit her fibre intake when she has diarrhea and increase it when constipated but mostly through veg and some fruits tho mostly veg.

-Reguarding fibre again, I suggested she choose refined carbs if she has to (much as I hate to say it), white bread, pasta, rice etc as its easier to digest for some sufferers. I told her to keep the porridge and soak it the night before, again for easier digestion.

-Probiotics- She takes Activia and I said she might as well pour a pint of sugar down her gut and that the amount of sugar in those type yogurts probably kills what little probiotics are in it in the first place so advised her to choose natural live yogurts or get a probiotic supplement???

-It pretty much boils down to stress IMP (shes a mother of 2 etc etc/ not time for herself blah blah blah) so I'm really trying to convince her to take just an hour of her day to go for a brisk walk to start with and how the kids wont die/starve without her for an hour.


So what do ye think? Is this ok or is there anything I can add/omit? Thanks so much for any advice from those in the know. Im just so glad shes started to listen and ask me so I really want to be able to help her.

Thanks everyone.:)

whiteonion

Why don't you just tell her to eat meat only? She can get virtually all nutrients she needs on a diet of meat and eggs. Eat some liver to get the needed levels of vitamin c. Fruits like apples and pears contains mostly sugar and water, there is no need to eat them. I have found that when I eat meat only I only need to take a "dump" twice a week.

Doolee

Hoping for a reply from EileenG, Metamorphosis, rubadub etc and the other qualified contributors, as well as sufferers themselves.

Red Cortina

I was diagnosed with IBS a few of years ago and had suffered since I was in 3rd year in college. I had been referred to a gastroenterologist to see was I coeliac but unfortunately after all the testing, the only diagnosis he could come up with was IBS.

About a year after that I started going to a trainer who told me to eliminate all gluten from my diet, that a huge proportion of Irish people are gluten intolerent. So I followed his advice and lo and behold the IBS mysteriously vanished.

I subsequently got tested through enterolab who confirmed that I am gluten sensitive. I have tried to read everything I can on the subject ever since in an effort to educate myself and it turns out that there are a range of gluten sensitivities, with ceoliac disease being right on the very end of that spectrum.

I would think that it would be worth your friend's time to eliminate gluten from their diet for a period of time, say 3/4 weeks, then re-introduce it and see is are their any adverse effects such as IBS, tiredness etc

I know that a few people who post here have also had IBS and then had their symptons disappear when they went gluten free. Also my sister is currently trying a GF period and her IBS seems to be improving.

No one understands just how debilitating IBS is unless you actually suffer from it and it was only when I got better that I realised just how awful it had been and I am actually still pretty pee'd off with that consultant who just dismissed what I was going through with an IBS diagnosis and a prescription for anti-diarrhoeal medicine. (sorry for the rant!)

Best of luck to your friend:)

teacosy

The British Dietetic Association and the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) have reviewed the scientific evidence recently, and summarized their findings here for patients with IBS.

http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/NICEBDAIrritableBowelSyndromeDietaryInformationResourcev2.pdf

Teacosy

jam_mac_jam

Hi, I have suffered for years with this, the one thing that has helped has been stop eating bread. I rarely eat it and when I do, its the wholemeal stuff. I would agree with everything you have said to her apart from one, telling her to eat white carbs, maybe she should try no bread and pasta rather than white. That is only my experience and not everyones but it has made a huge difference. Oh and porridge, such a big help as well, every single day. I rarely have symptoms now and never constipaction which used to be all the time. The main time I am sick now is when I drink anything other than wine.

jam_mac_jam

whiteonion wrote: »

Why don't you just tell her to eat meat only? She can get virtually all nutrients she needs on a diet of meat and eggs. Eat some liver to get the needed levels of vitamin c. Fruits like apples and pears contains mostly sugar and water, there is no need to eat them. I have found that when I eat meat only I only need to take a "dump" twice a week.

This is not good advise at all, esp for somebody who suffers from constipation.

Outkast_IRE

I changed to eating wholegrain breads and found it has helped greatly.

Doolee

Wow, thank you so much everyone for the replies.

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

I would agree with everything you have said to her apart from one, telling her to eat white carbs, maybe she should try no bread and pasta rather than white. That is only my experience and not everyones but it has made a huge difference. Oh and porridge, such a big help as well, every single day. I rarely have symptoms now and never constipaction which used to be all the time. The main time I am sick now is when I drink anything other than wine.

I absolutly agree that it should be cut completely but knowing my sister, she would never ever attempt such a thing so I was trying to suggest an alternative. I was even talking to her tonight and shes lost interest again saying its just not a priority at the moment!!! How stupid sounding is that, your health is not a priority at the moment!!! I'm trying to be calm and understanding but God its so frustrating sometimes! Anyway,...

Red Cortina wrote: »

I would think that it would be worth your friend's time to eliminate gluten from their diet for a period of time, say 3/4 weeks, then re-introduce it and see is are their any adverse effects such as IBS, tiredness etc

I know that a few people who post here have also had IBS and then had their symptons disappear when they went gluten free. Also my sister is currently trying a GF period and her IBS seems to be improving.

God you really had a bad run of it ya poor thing. Glad its getting sorted for you now though. Thanks for the advice and will certainly try get her to give it a go:)

teacosy wrote: »

The British Dietetic Association and the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) have reviewed the scientific evidence recently, and summarized their findings here for patients with IBS.

http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/NICEBDAIrritableBowelSyndromeDietaryInformationResourcev2.pdf

Teacosy

Thanks a million!!!

Sapsorrow

I suffered terribly with IBS for four years, it cleared up within days of starting the primal diet and hasn't been back since! I don't know if it's the sort of diet she could follow easily but it's well worth mentioning to her.

metamorphosis

Cutting back on the grains and dairy (for more veg, meat and fish) greatly helps.

Works well for me anyway

Adelie

I second the suggestion of giving up gluten. Also if I do relapse and eat a little gluten for a while, like I did at Christmas, then after going gluten-free again I still have minor IBS symptons which go away with a course of probiotics. So I agree with your idea of probiotics as well. I take capsules from a health food shop but live yoghurt may be as good, don't know.

poconnor16

I've been through the mill on this one.....previous doctor dismissed ceoliac and lactose intolerance, sent me off to specialist, colonoscopy (nice)....specialist never really concluded anything. He said it does seem like IBS but I'm not sure. 'Would you be willing to partake in some studies.......' I got sick of it and gave up spending the 150 euro a visit.

Here is usually what works for me:
Meat, veg, fruit, nuts and seeds
Gallons of water
Plenty of exercise
Keep stress to a minimum.
Limit the dairy
Cut out anything white (bread, pasta etc), anything processed and/or greasy food
Alcohol - moderation

I recently brought some healthy grains back into my diet in a bid to up my energy levels for running. So started eating bran flakes, a bit of wholegrain bread here and there. Big mistake for me - I was hit with the worst symptoms in a long time. Cramps, frequent loo visits, not so frequent loo visits ...Ended up going to another doctor. Am waiting for bloods to come back as she has now insisted in testing for ceoliac.

I feel like I am on a merry-go-round